Mason Finley has had numerous highlights throughout his three-plus years of high school track & field.
He has a few national titles under his belt, including a victory in the discus at last year's Nike Outdoor Nationals.
But the senior from Buena Vista High School in Colorado, didn't have to reach too far back in his memory bank to come out with the one that tops the list.
“There were a couple that were really awesome. The Nike meet was really cool. But I would have to say the highlight was today,” said Finley following his double-winning afternoon at the annual Gunnison Invitational on April 20.
Continuing what has been a strong start to his final outdoor season, the 18-year-old Finley had a record-setting day at the meet. Already the top discus thrower in the country, Finley improved on his personal best by two feet with an unearthly toss of 223 feet, 4 inches, which ranks third all-time in the event. If that wasn't enough, he also achieved a career-best in the shot put with a toss of 71-3 ¼, a distance that presently puts Finley No. 2 on the national charts.
“I just threw really well right from the start of the day,” he said. “I got a lot of form work before (the competition) and I just stayed really calm. Everything seemed to work in both the discus and the shot.”
At 6-foot-8 and more than 300 pounds, the UCLA-bound Finley is not too difficult to pick out in a crowd. But it's obvious where he's the most noticeable and that, of course, is each time he performs inside the circle.
Since he was first introduced to the weight events in the sixth grade by his dad, Jared Finley - a former Wyoming state-record holder in the discus and a top-notch shot putter - the Buena Vista phenom has consistently performed at a high level.
Finley, whose specialty is the discus, saw his biggest improvement in the event occur during his freshman and sophomore years, when he attended Salida (Co.) High before transferring to Buena Vista in the 11th grade. After throwing 146 as a frosh, Finley returned the following year and smashed his PB with a 186 effort by the time his tenth-grade season was over. He captured the discus and shot put at the state meet that year for his first two individual crowns and also won the events at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships in the summer.
“I'm not sure how it really happened,” said Finley, about his sophomore season. “I think I just started lifting weights a little more and getting stronger. I was working on a lot of technique stuff and getting a better feel for the discus.”
Finley believes his height can be a benefit.
“I think people use their height differently,” he said. “A shorter person may be quicker in the circle, but a taller person has the height advantage to get the discus up in the air and has a longer wingspan for momentum.”
Finley, who is also mentored by Buena Vista throws coach Mike Carr, got an omen right away that his junior season would be a special one. In the first meet, he let loose a throw of 202-11 at the Eagle Valley Invitational and a month later achieved a season-best of 65-1 ¾ in the shot put at a league meet.
He won two more state crowns in the discus and shot, but that was minuscule to what he would do in the meets that sandwiched the championship. Competing in the regionals prior to the state competition, Finley set a national junior-class record and state mark with a first-place effort of 222-1.
Only six days after winning the states with a toss of 211-6, Finley copped the Nike Meet by more than 12 feet, defeating Dayshan Ragans of Foothill (Calif.) High with a winning throw of 206-11.
Finley, who had an early-season best of 221-0 in winning the Arcadia Invitational on April 10 and a top throw of 68 feet in the shot before his eye-popping day at the Gunnison Invite, enjoys the fact that he's able to be coached by his dad along with Carr.
“I really like it. I really enjoy it,” he said. “Sometimes we get on each other's nerves, but it's alright. He knows me more than anyone.”
Finley, who owns a 3.7 GPA and plans to major in Chemistry at UCLA, has a goal of breaking the national high school discus record of 234-3 before he graduates next month. The 2012 Summer Games is his long-term goal.
“I set really high goals, but I want to hit 240 (feet) in the discus and 74 (feet) in the shot put,” he said. “I know those are high, but I always shoot for high distances.”
Who could argue? Right now, the sky doesn't even seem to be the limit for the talented thrower from Buena Vista.